Key Stage 3 Curriculum Change 2017
Dear Parent / Carer
Thank you to all those who were able to find time in their appointment schedule at the recent parents’ evening to listen to the presentations on the changes to the curriculum that will affect our current Year 7 students. However, as many parents could not attend the presentations, we thought it wise to summarise the information for all parents.
It is our intention to change the length of key stage 3 for current year 7 students from September 2016. This means that students in this year group, and subsequent year groups, will follow a key stage 3 programme for years7 & 8 but follow a GCSE programme of study from year 9 onwards. This decision has not been taken lightly, but has been informed by several factors.
The current drive from the Government to follow the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) means that there is a firm expectation for the vast majority of students to attain GCSEs in English, maths, science, a humanities subject (either history or geography) and a modern foreign language (French or Spanish). Following this programme of study for key stage 4 will ensure that students remain competitive in terms of employment and educational opportunities in the future.
However, by following this curriculum we believe that the choice for students has been narrowed and, although parents and students understand the reasoning behind this drive, some are unhappy with the restrictions placed on other GCSE choices available to them. In reality, many students would be able to choose only one other GCSE subject to study if we continue to follow our current curriculum model.
A move to a 3 year key stage 4 curriculum means that we can enable students to follow the requirements of the Ebaccand also extend their other GCSE option choice from one to two other subjects. This means the curriculum is broader and more likely to meet the aspirations and interests of students. We are able to offer this additional choice because we can timetable slightly less time for each GCSE subject over a year, but by running the courses over 3 years not 2, each subject will still access more curriculum time overall.
Teachers are now planning the year 8 curriculum to ensure sufficient key stage 3 content is covered. Going forward into year 9, there will be little change for the vast majority of subjects because many subjects already address skills and content in year 9 that prepare students for GCSE.
The next steps in this process will be in February / March 2017 when you will be invited to attend a Guided Pathways Evening and Careers Event. At this time the curriculum will be explained in more detail, there will be a full explanation of the implications of the Ebacc and the opportunity to talk to teachers about GCSE options and what each subject entails.
The Careers Event will be a supportive opportunity for parents to discuss subject choices with those from businesses, colleges and apprenticeship schemes.
We appreciate that you may have questions concerning this change and are happy to meet with parents / carers who would like further clarification. However, there will be more opportunities for this in the autumn term when we plan to repeat the presentations from the year 7 parents’ evening.
Regards
Sarah Wilson
Principal